1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method of controlling a refrigerator adapted for fermenting and/or storing Kimchi, and particularly to a fermentation and/or storage control apparatus which determines the fermentation condition of the Kimchi by calculating the product of temperature and time, thereby controlling fermentation of the Kimchi.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Kimchi is a traditional Korean naturally fermented food which is made of radish, cabbage or cucumber, spiced with pepper, garlic, onion, ginger, and so on. The unique taste of Kimchi is achieved, in part, by various kinds of organic acids which are formed by the respiration process of the microorganisms which are present in the ingredients. The Kimchi fermentation process chiefly relies on temperature and time. Within certain ranges, the higher the ambient temperature, the faster the fermentation process will develop. On the other hand, even when different batches of Kimchi are processed at the same temperature, the fermentations will be different according to the length of the fermentation process. In order to preserve optimally fermented Kimchi for a long time, it is required to initially ferment it at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time and then to preserve it at a temperature lower than the fermentation temperature. Accordingly, in order to meet these requirements, a refrigerator with the capability to ferment and/or store Kimchi, and a refrigerator exclusively designed to ferment and/or Store Kimchi has been developed. In these conventional refrigerators designed for Kimchi, the fermentation and/or storage of Kimchi is controlled to provide the optimum condition for fermentation as determined by experiments. That is, the fermentation of Kimchi is performed by merely maintaining the inner temperature of the Kimchi compartment at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time, regardless of the actual fermentation condition. However, in such conventional refrigerators, the inner temperature of the Kimchi compartment varies due to external factors such as fluctuations in the input power supply and the compartment door opening and closing. Consequently, there is a problem that the Kimchi is often over-fermented or under-fermented.